section1

Section 1
(ch. 1-2)

Discussion Director
Your job is to ask five questions about the reading that you can discuss with your group. They should include: one genre, one problem/solution, one MCEOG, one character, and one prediction.

1. (Genre) What is the genre of this novel? Is there anything in the reading that gives you a clue about this?

Answer: This novel is historical fiction. I could tell when it said the year was 1687 on p.1, par. 1 and also when the voice tells Kit she's reached Connecticut Colony on p.1, par. 2.

2. ( problem/solution) Whose problem does Kit attempt to solve when she jumps into the water? What was the problem?

Answer: Kit is trying to solve the Prudence's problem of having dropped her doll overboard by going after it. p.13, par.7.

3. (MCEOG) Which best describes Goodwife Cruff's attitude toward Kit after she retrieved Prudence's doll?
    a. indifferent
    b. friendly
    c. scornful
    d. grateful

Answer: The answer is "c", scornful, because she tells her to leave Prudence alone very angrily. p.29, par.4.

4. (character) How would you describe Kit's character at the end of chapter 2? What advice would you give her?

Answer: Kit is confident at the end of chapter 2, because she assures Captain Eaton that her family would always want her to come on p.30, par.3. I would advise her to act humble when she gets to her aunt and uncle's house because she doesn't yet know what their personalities are.

5. (prediction) What do you think will happen when Kit reaches her Aunt Rachel's house? How will her new family react to her arrival?

Answer: I think that they will be very happy to see Kit and be reunited with her. They will feel sad that her grandfather died and reassure her that she should live with them. I think that she will seem different to them because she was raised in such a different place.

Passage Picker
Your job is to pick four passages from the reading that you want to discuss with your group. There are various reasons for picking a passage. For this section, pick passages for these four reasons:

funny/amusing
dialect
figurative language
descriptive

Once you have selected your passages, follow these steps:

write down the page and paragraph number
write down the first two and last two words of the passage
write down your reason for choosing the passage and explain why
ask a question about your passage and give an answer
write down the author's purpose (to describe, entertain, inform, or persuade)

1. p.17, par. 5-6
2. " Kit wrinkled......he answered."
3. I chose this passage because Nat's comment is sarcastic and funny. The fact that he makes a joke to Kit lets the reader know that he is feeling friendly toward her again.
4. Why does Kit mean when she says that Goodwife Cruff's sour face will curdle her food?
Answer: She means that Goodwife Cruff has been unpleasant to her ever since she saved Prudence's doll and that she isn't looking forward to spending her meals with her..
5. The author's purpose with this passage was to entertain.

1. p.8, par. 5-6
2. "Oh yes....he agreed."
3. I chose this passage for its dialect because it shows how people spoke 17th century English.
4. What does "aye" mean? How do you know?
Answer: "Aye" means yes. You can tell because it says that Nat is agreeing with Kit when he uses that word.
5. The author's purpose with this passage was to inform the reader of how colonists used to speak.

1. p.10, ll.2-4
2. "Her spirits.....the Dolphin."
3. I chose this passage for its figurative language. The comparison between Kit's spirits and the whitecaps in the harbor is a simile.
4. How does a person feel if his or her spirits are bobbing?
Answer: Her or his feelings would be constantly changing back and forth. Just like the water moves up and down, so would the person's mood.
5. The author's purpose in this passage was to describe Kit's feelings as she caught her first glimpse of America.

1. p.29, par.1
2. "This was......the boat."
3. I chose this passage for its vivid description of Wethersfield. The author uses bleak imagery to paint a picture of this town and highlight Kit's disappointment with it.
4. Does this description of Wethersfield fit with what you thought it would look like?
Answer: No. I thought that Wethersfield would be plainer than what Kit was used to, but I thought it would be bigger than it is.
5. The author's purpose in this passage is to describe the new home to which Kit has traveled so far and has been anticipating for so long.

Word Wizard
Your job is to pick out at least five special words from this section of the reading. They should be words that you find interesting or are not familiar with. For each word you will need to write the page and paragraph where the word occurrs, the definition of the word, the part of speech,the sentence from the reading containing that word, and one sentence of your own containing the word.

tedious (p.10, par.4)
definition: "tiresome because of length or dullness; boring"
adjective
" Besides, I'd never let on to my husband, but the summer trips are tedious, just back and forth up and down the river."
From one o'clock to one-forty-five, my class has the most tedious subject:math!

abstracted (p.29, par.5)
definition: "drawing away the attention of"
adjective
"Even John Holbrook's farewells were abstracted."
The wordiness of the book makes its meaning abstracted.

haughtily (p.30, par.7)
definiton: "blatantly and disdainfully proudly"
adverb
" 'I am entirely responsible for my own coming,' she assured him haughtily."
The snobby girl made a face and tossed her hair haughtily.

exquisite (p.34, par.2)
definiton: "marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful, ingenious, delicate, or elaborate execution"
adjective
Judith's face fulfilled in every exquisite detail the picture she had treasured of her imagined aunt."
My grandmother gave me her exquisite silver ring for Christmas.

embroidery (p.35, par.2)
definition: "the art or process of forming decorative designs with hand or machine needlework"
noun
"What beautiful embroidery," she said admiringly.
The embroidery on my dancing costume was hand done by my mother.

Character Sketcher
Your job is to choose an intersting character from this section of the reading. You will think of three words that describe that character (character traits) and give the proof with the page and paragraph number. You will then tell one of the character's goals for that section, or something that the character wants to do. Next, you will find one of your character's problems for the section and the solution or possible solution to that problem. Finally, illustrate the character.

Kit Tyler
Character traits:

unimpressed (p.7, par.5) When Kit catches her first glimpse of the American shore, its appearance doesn't live up to her expectations.
disappointed (p.9, par.6) Kit is sad that she must say goodbye to the Captain's wife who had been her only female companion on the ship.
lonely (p.10, par.2) Kit regrets her decision to go ashore in Saybrook because there is no one there to make her feel welcome.

Character goal:

Kit wants to arrive at her aunt and uncles house and to be received warmly there.

Character problem:

When Kit jumped out of the longboat to rescue Prudence's doll, she caused Goodwife Cruff to dislike her and they have to eat their meals at the same table.

Solution

John Holbrook offers to sit with them to make sure that Kit has someone civil to talk to.

Summarizer
Your job is to prepare a brief summary for this section of the reading. Give a one or two minute statement to the rest of your group that highlights the key points and issues.

Kit Tyler is a sixteen year old girl who was raised by her English grandfather on Barbados. When he died she set out for America on a ship called the Dolphin to live with her only relatives: her mother's sister Rachel and her family. Before arriving in Wethersfield, the ship first reached the port of Saybrook where Kit went ashore for a glimpse of the land. On the way back to the ship, in the longboat, she realized that a little girl who was going aboard with her family had dropped her doll overboard and was crying. Kit impulsively jumped in the water and retrieved it for her, but the child's mother was ungrateful. Being from Barbados, Kit did not understand that in America, only witches and sometimes sailors knew how to swim. She earned herself a reputation of being strange. Finally, they reached Wethersfield and Kit had to admit to Captain Eaton that since she didn't write to say she was coming, no one would be meeting her. The captain and his son began carrying her trunks to her family's house for her.